Bangor School Budget Passes Real Estate Tax Will Increase 10 Mills

Bangor Area School Board passed its $15,274,500 budget with a 10-mill real estate tax increase last night -- the same budget it defeated one week ago.

Last Monday, the vote was 4-3. Last night it was 5-2. Directors Richard Ott Sr. and David Felker cast the no votes.

Felker voted against the budget last week with Directors Christopher Yeager and Lawrence Burger Sr. Burger was absent last night, but Yeager changed his position and voted for the budget, giving the majority needed for passage.

The tax increase will mean about a $10 increase in taxes for each $10,000 of assessed valuation on a property.

While some directors questioned areas of expenditures, the administration successfully defended its needs.

Dr. Wilford Ottey, school superintendent, was backed in his support to retain the position of assistant elementary principal by two school principals, John Reinhart and Dorothy Ruggerio.

Reinhart said an assistant will be important in the transitions that will be made with the opening early next year of the new DeFranco Elementary School at Five Points and the closing of the Bangor Elementary Center in Bangor.

"Dorothy (Ruggerio) will have almost 790 students at DeFranco Elementary School, I will have 1,100 at Five Points and there will be 250 at Washington Elementary School," Reinhart said.

He pointed out the assistant, while housed at Washington, would share responsibilities in all three buildings. He said the position is important not only for student communications, but also for parents.

Ott, who voted for the budget last week, said he felt more cuts could have been made, particularly in transportation and in deletion of the grounds and maintenance supervisory post.

But Ottey told him the district was locked into contract terms for school bus transportation.

Ott wanted to know what plans the administration had included in the budget for the closing of the Bangor Elementary Center. Ottey said he is proposing the building be "decommissioned" as soon as possible after the students are transfered to the new school at Five Points.

He said some money could be saved on fuel, electricity and other maintenance needs when the building is closed -- if the other structure is completed on time.

He said he would suggest the building be razed rather than have the district continue to maintain it because he would never suggest it be used for school use again. However board president Mary Margaret Levine said the district had discussed keeping the site should any other schools have to be built in the future.

Felker suggested cutting out school board expenses for conferences. But Business Administrator Walter Pocalyko said expenses, listed at $148,775 (up 10.42 percent next year) included the dues for the various organizations the board members belong to.

Ottey said some of the expenses were for local conferences which were held for the school board members on educational issues.

The administration also won its argument to retain all teachers, particularly one in the English department which had been discussed at the prior week's meeting.

Dr. John Barilla, high school principal, said the English teacher was also the newspaper adviser. He said he felt her work in the writing program has produced improvements in students writing. Ottey said the school also was getting positive feedback from students going to college of how they benefitted from the course.

Yeager said he had been asking for results for a month. The administrator's report helped change his vote on the budget, he said.

Jay Albert, one of five citizens attending the meeting, was told the budget was based on present assessment and not on the new assessed valuations Northampton County will be sending out shortly.